We can easily become attached to the idea of a good Yoga practice. This is based on a judgement measured by the requirements of our mind. However, this does not serve us well in Yoga. Asana practice is not orientated to pleasure and pain, rather it Focuses on the development of the many diverse facets of body and mind. Good and bad practice are simply the construct of an ego in search of pleasure.
In Asana practice you are required to confront those areas that are blocked—the areas you would naturally withdraw from. One of the great aspects of Ashtanga Yoga is the fixture of the asana sequence. By following the sequence we untie the knots that make us uncomfortable.
Ashtanga Yoga offers the benefit of a pre-determined sequence, and as long as we don’t get caught up in thinking that simply finishing the sequence is a goal, it is an ideal process of asana development. The ultimate objective of asana practice is union. Union of the one to the many, the body to the soul. You are welcome to surrender to this union at any time, even in the first beginner’s pose.
Yoga poses require a combination of surrender and control, effort and relaxation, and application and submission. Excess of any element will be reflected back in the practice, which in turn is a mirror of our emotional and physical wellbeing. Through constancy and application to asana practice we become more in harmony with our body, and we surrender from attempting to change what is and begin to respect it. It is from this position that true change can occur.
In Ashtanga Yoga practice there is less emphasis on asana (pose) technique and more on the breath. In contrast to some schools of teaching where highly refined technique and alignment is the primary focus, Ashtanga relies more on the inner symmetry of asana than the outer. There is actually room for both. Technique is important, as is the development of a meditative practice and the co-ordination of breath.
In Asana practice you are required to confront those areas that are blocked—the areas you would naturally withdraw from. One of the great aspects of Ashtanga Yoga is the fixture of the asana sequence. By following the sequence we untie the knots that make us uncomfortable.
Ashtanga Yoga offers the benefit of a pre-determined sequence, and as long as we don’t get caught up in thinking that simply finishing the sequence is a goal, it is an ideal process of asana development. The ultimate objective of asana practice is union. Union of the one to the many, the body to the soul. You are welcome to surrender to this union at any time, even in the first beginner’s pose.
Yoga poses require a combination of surrender and control, effort and relaxation, and application and submission. Excess of any element will be reflected back in the practice, which in turn is a mirror of our emotional and physical wellbeing. Through constancy and application to asana practice we become more in harmony with our body, and we surrender from attempting to change what is and begin to respect it. It is from this position that true change can occur.
In Ashtanga Yoga practice there is less emphasis on asana (pose) technique and more on the breath. In contrast to some schools of teaching where highly refined technique and alignment is the primary focus, Ashtanga relies more on the inner symmetry of asana than the outer. There is actually room for both. Technique is important, as is the development of a meditative practice and the co-ordination of breath.
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